Improvement in combined switch and frog for railways



Arent rtree..

PETER QUINN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED SWITCH AND FROG FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 53,67, dated April 3, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, PETER QUINN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a Combined Railroad Switch and Frog; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of the combination, substantially as described hereinafter, o'a movable i'rog-rail ot' peculiar construction with a switch, the whole operating in unison, so that the proper duty of both may be insured.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompan yin g drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figures l and 2 are plan views of my combined switch and frog, and Fig. 3 an elevation of part of the apparatus which may be used for eiiecting the desired simultaneous movenient of switch and frog.

A and A represent the rails of the main track, and B and B the rails or" the turnout, the whole ot' these rails terminating` at a line,

D and D are 'the rails of the switch, and their outer ends are so connected at c to the track that their inner ends can be readily moved so as to coincide with the ends of the rails B and B of the turnout, as seen in Fig. l, or the rails A and A ot' the main track, as seen in Fig. 2.

The continuity of the rail B of the turnout is interrupted to admit the movable frog-rail G, which is jointed at m, and which can be made to assume the position shown in Fig. l, when it forms a continuation of the rail B of the turnout, or the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is moved away from the said rail B as well as from the rail A, leaving the latter rail uninterrupted.

The frog-rail Gr, as seen in Fig. l, is arranged to cross and rest on the railAof the maintrack, and is so far elevated above the latter that the iianges of car-wheels traversing the turnout cannot come in contact with the said rail A. This frog-rail Gr and several modifications of the same I have so fully described in a separate application for a patent that a more minute description here will be unnecessary.

It is essential that the movements of the frog-rail and switch should be simultaneous; hence they are connected to one operatinglever, K-the frog-rail by the bar b, link d, and rod e, and the switch-rails by the barf, link g, and rod h-the link d being connected to the track at t', and the link g to the track at t".

The operation of these connections will be readily understood without further description. It will be also understood that many diii'erent devices will readily suggest themselves to those familiar with railway matters for ei'ecting the simultaneous movement ot' the frog-rail and switch-rails. I therefore do not lay claim or desire to conline myself to the precise devices shown for effecting this movement, nor do I desire to confine myself to the arrangement shown of the frog-rail G, or to the specic construction described ofthe switch-rails, as all may be modified without departing from the main features of my invention; but

I claim and desire to secure by Letters PatentrIhe combination, substantially as described, of the movable frog-rail G, arranged to rest on one ofthe main rails, with any suitable switchrails, the whole operating together as set forth.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specilcation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER. QUINN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FOSTER, J oHN WHITE. 

